CRICKET: Surrey's Roy hopes for an England Test call up

Former Whitgift School pupil turned international cricket star Jason Roy still harbours hope of a first England Test Match cap.

The Surrey opener wore England colours at the T20 World Cup earlier this year, and has opened for the ODI side.

Roy hit 109 off 67 balls on Friday night to help see off Sussex in the T20 Blast at Hove by 23 runs and claim a first win in three for Surrey.

The 25-year-old then scored 32 as Surrey missed out on an opening win in the Royal London Cup at Kent by whisker, losing by one wicket in the final over.

However, his reliability in the shorter format of the game has not opened the door to a place in the Test squad.

Roy has not been helped by Surrey’s torrid return to Division One of the County Championships where a record of four defeats and three draws has them stuck at the foot of the table.

Although England’s Test side have been enjoying success against tourists Sri Lanka, there are questions being asked about members of the batting line-up – particularly Middlesex’s Nick Compton, who is without a 50 in 15 first-class innings.

It means Roy is still determined to prove he has the talent to feature in the longer formats at international level.

He said: “It would be absolutely mind-blowing if I was to put on that England cap, but a lot of hard work is still to be done with my red ball game, and a high volume of runs to be scored.

“I was thinking the other day; it’s actually quite relaxing playing Championship cricket because you don’t have to worry about scoring at eight runs or ten runs an over or making sure your boundary percentage is high.

“You can go out there and enjoy your craft, you can go out and be a batsmen and enjoy it. I guess the hardest thing to do is to curb the natural instinct of an opening one-day player but it comes with experience.”

Surrey are back in action in the Royal London Cup today (Wednesday, 2pm) at the Oval against Somerset, and they host Middlesex in the T20 Blast on Thursday (6.30pm).

Comments

Ipsoregulated

This website and associated newspapers adhere to the Independent Press Standards Organisation's Editors' Code of Practice. If you have a complaint about the editorial content which relates to inaccuracy or intrusion, then please contact the editor here. If you are dissatisfied with the response provided you can contact IPSO here